The government does not believe that everyone will be vaccinated against Covid in 2021, says the minister of Justice

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has revealed that the government does not expect everyone to get vaccinated against Covid-19 next year.

And he reiterated the Taoiseach’s warnings that the restrictions may not end before January 31.

It comes as retail across the country will be forced to close its doors at the end of business on Thursday, when the country plunges into a third Level Five lockdown.

Ms. McEntee said, “We have all of these restrictions in place and we have ways to enforce them.

“We can’t say for sure that this will end in January, but if we can stay rigid over the next month, hopefully we will see that sharp decline.

The government and HSE have faced criticism in recent days over the rate at which it is rolling out the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines.

Speaking to Newstalk, Ms McEntee said: “We do not anticipate that we will be able to vaccinate everyone this year.”

Labor leader Alan Kelly has said that Taosieach Micheál Martin needs to clarify the Justice Minister’s comments immediately.

He tweeted: “Why not? This is worrying. What about the McGraith plan? @MichealMartinTD needs to clarify what @HMcEntee is saying here right away. “

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue defended the implementation of the vaccine program.

He said no stone will be left unturned in relation to ensuring that it is fully deployed and that it is done at the best possible rate.

The Donegal TD also played down allegations that the government was using the new strain of the virus as an excuse to avoid the consequences of decisions made by the Cabinet that were not in line with NPHET’s advice.

He said: “The government has acted with great proportionality and caution at all times.”

McConalogue said that the initial six-week lockdown brought us to a point where we were one of the best countries in Europe.